GREEN BAY 31, BUFFALO 21

Favre Gets a Scare, Tasker Is Ejected

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brett Favre, hit hard on his first pass, bounced back to throw two touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Buffalo Bills, 31-21, Saturday at Lambeau Field.

In a regular-season finale that had no bearing on the playoff picture, the Packers (13-3) kept their momentum going--despite a clumsy second half by their subs.

The game marked the retirement of Buffalo's special teams star Steve Tasker after a 13-year career that included seven Pro Bowls and four Super Bowls.

During his long career, Tasker had never been ejected from a game. Until Saturday.

Tasker decided not to catch a punt deep in his own territory less than two minutes into the game. As he got out of the way, the ball bounced inside the five-yard line and grazed the back of the Bills' Raymond Jackson and caromed into the hands of Tyrone Davis for a Packer touchdown.

Referee Mike Carey immediately signaled the score, and the usually easygoing Tasker protested. He was ejected for accidentally bumping back judge Tom Sifferman.

"It's not really the way I wanted my career to end, obviously," Tasker said. "But it was my fault and it is a rule. Even though I had no intention of pushing an official, it is a rule." Bumping an official mandates an ejection.

Carey said he knew it was Tasker's final game. "That's not a license. It's unfortunate, but it's not a license," the referee said.

Favre put a scare into the Packers and their fans as he lay writhing on the grass after being hit by defensive end Phil Hansen.

"I was on the sideline screaming at him to get up," Packer defensive end Reggie White said. "It was scary to see him lying down out there."

Favre was frightened for a moment too.

"It just kind of knocked the wind out of me, bruised my sternum or whatever you want to call it," he said. "It scared me more than anything. I couldn't breathe there for a few minutes."

Neither could Coach Mike Holmgren.

"I was hoping he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him," Holmgren said. "Fortunately, that's all it was."